Danielle LeBlanc has been living in Toronto since 2010 to pursue her dream of becoming an actor. - Contributed

Danielle LeBlanc got plenty of stage experience as a member of the Acadian folk band Grand Dérangement. Now the Nova Scotia native is honing her performance skills as she transitions into acting.

She’s been seen recently across North America on season two of the T+E channel show Haunted Case Files. LeBlanc landed a recurring role — her first on a television series — as a paranormal investigator and has appeared in two episodes of the series, which is shot in Hamilton, Ont.

“I just feel like in the last year things have really started to open up, which is really good because it’s kind of a long road in the acting industry,” LeBlanc said during a phone interview from Toronto.

“For me it’s great. Being on a network TV show, I’ve never done that before. It was just a great learning experience.

“It kind of fuelled my fire a little bit.”

LeBlanc, 33, moved to Toronto in 2010, and she began pursuing film, TV and voice-over work in 2014, securing a spot with a Toronto talent agency. Since then, she’s been auditioning on a regular basis, getting roles in several independent films and commercials, including a spot in a national ad for ice cream that is still airing.

“Who knows what’s next? I auditioned for a musical just the other day.” - Danielle LeBlanc

The art of auditioning

Though they might appear similar, auditioning is a completely different skill than acting, she said.

“I’m still learning that part. I go to classes, and that just helps so much to take away those nerves.”

In addition, she has lent her voice to projects, including a role on the Little People animated series for preschoolers, based on the Fisher-Price toys. She is the singing voice for the character Koby in the upcoming second season.

While pursuing jobs in those diverse fields, she also co-stars in her own musical kids show Little Buckaroos, which she and her partner and former Grand Dérangement bandmate Briand Melanson take across Canada. LeBlanc also does a show called Twist and Shout Prom Night, in which she and her team of volunteers recreate 1950s high school dances for the residents of long-term care homes. The evenings feature a ’50s band, Bamtone and the Be-Bops, in which LeBlanc performs. In the summer her Toronto-based team made it as far as her hometown of Clare, where they brought the special event to Villa Acadienne in July.

“As of right now, we don’t make any money doing it,” said LeBlanc.

“It’s just so nice that it’s a way to use our talents that’s fulfilling.”

LeBlanc holds a flexible “real” job at a Toronto restaurant, but it’s the mystery of what the future might hold which fuels her journey.

“The particular path that I’ve taken with music, in Grand Derangement and with our kids show, I just have way more control because I book the shows. Whereas acting, I just have to let go of any kind of control because I don’t have any, really.

“Who knows what’s next? I auditioned for a musical just the other day.”